Wrought-metal forearm for tubular-magazine guns.



No. 808,875. PATENTED DEC. 26, 1905. T. G. JOHNSON. WROUGHT METAL POREARM FOR TUBULAR MAGAZINE GUNS.

APPLIGATION FILED JULY 3. 1905.

2 SHEETS-$HBET 1.

PATENTBD DEC. 26, 1905.

' T. O. JOHNSON. WROUGHT METAL FOREARM FOR TUBULAR MAGAZINE GUNS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

TINTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS C. JOHNSON, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO l/VIN CHESTER REPEATING ARMS 00., OF NEW HAVEN, CONN ECTI- CUT, A CORPORATION.

WROUGHT-METAL FOREARM FOR TUBULAR-MAGAZINE GUNS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 1905.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS C. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Wrought-Metal Fore- Arms for Tubular-Magazine Guns; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the numerals of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure 1, a view in side elevation of one form which a wrought-metal fore-arm constructed in accordance with my invention may assume; Fig. 2, a view thereof in rear elevation; Fig. 3, a plan view thereof; Fig. 1, aview thereof in vertical longitudinal section; Fig. 5, a view thereof in transverse section on the line a 6 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6, a detached sectional view of the front tenon-piece, mounted in the front end of the fore-arm; Fig. 7 a detached View, in front elevation, of the said front tenonpiece; Fig. 8, a detached View, in vertical section, of the rear tenon-piece, mounted in the rear end of the fore-arm; Fig. 9, a view in front elevation of the said rear tenon-piece; Fig. 10, a plan view of one of the modified forms which the fore-arm may assume, the ends of the metal itself being bent for the production of integral tenons instead of using separately-formed tenon-pieces; Fig. 11, an enlarged sectional view of the integral front tenon of Fig. 10; Fig. 12, a corresponding view showing how the metal of the fore-arm may be folded to form a mortise for the reception of the fore-arm tip; Fig. 13, a broken plan view of the front end of a wrought-metal fore-arm, formed by shaping a seamless tube instead of folding a blank; Fig. 14, a view in front elevation of the construction shown by Fig. 13; Fig. 15, a broken plan view of the front end of a wrought-metal fore-arm, the upper face of which is open throughout its length; Fig. 16, a view thereof in front elevation; Fig. 17, a development of such a blank as may be used for the production of the forearm shown by Figs. 1 to 9, inclusive.

Heretofore tubular-magazine guns have been provided with wooden fore-arms made by preference of black walnut, which has now grown extremely scarce and expensive and have been found objectionable for a variety of reasons, among which the following may be mentioned: first, liability to split in being fashioned and handled on account of having to be worked down very thin, so as to secure the room required for the accomodation of a tubular magazine or its adjuncts, unless made so large as to be cumbersome and heavy; second, liability to shrink and get loose in dry weather and in wet weather to swell and distort the metal parts and impair the accuracy of the gun; third, liability to be affected by the weather to such an extent that it is impracticable to make them in quantities for stock or faster than they are required for being actually placed in guns; fourth, liability to char in use.

The object of my present invention is to avoid the objections, including those above stated, incident to the use of wooden fore-arms in tubular-magazine gun's.

With these ends in view my invention consists, as a new article of manufacture, in a wrought-metal fore-arm for tubular-magazine guns, the said fore-arm being adapted at its rear end for being operatively connected with the gun frame or receiver.

My invention further consists in certain details of construction, as will be hereinafter de scribed, and pointed out in the claims.

Wrought-metal fore-arms constructed in accordance with my invention may be produced in a variety of ways and obviously will take a variety of forms as to their details to comply with the varying requirements of different guns. I cannot, therefore, attempt to show or describe all of the forms which my improved wrought-metal fore-arm may assume, but only a few forms which must suffice for the disclosure of my invention.

In carrying out my invention as shown in Figs. 1 to 9, inclusive, I producea chambered wrought-metal fore-arm 2 by bending into shape a blank 3 of the form shown by Fig. 17. The fore-arm 2 in its external appearance cor responds exactly to an ordinary wooden forearm, though it may be made and probably will be made considerably smaller than the same in all of its dimensions, thus securing an obvious gain in convenience and appearance. As shown, its side walls are formed with corresponding longitudinal grooves 4, located opposite each other and designed to receive the tips of the fingers in clasping it. The upper edges of the metal are bent or folded inward to form rounded flanges 5, which not only stiffen the structure, but also give the same along its edge an appearance of rigidity and thickness which it would otherwise not have, as the metal used in its construction may not be over two-hundredths of an inch thick. At its front end the side walls of the fore-arm are united by a web 6, concaved to the form of the gun-barrel and formed by riveting and brazing tongues 7 and 8 on the forward corners of the blank 3, as shown by Fig. 17. At its front end the fore-arm is formed with a circular opening 9 for the reception of a ringshaped tenon-piece 10, which is secured in place by brazing, and the front end of which projects forward beyond the front end of the fore-arm just enough to form a tenon or shoulder 11' to take in tenonwise into a suitable fore-arm tip of any construction and arrangement. At its rear end the fore-arm 2 has a U- shaped opening 12 for the reception of a U- shaped tenon-piece 13, the rear end of which projects beyond the rear end of the fore-arm to form a tenon or shoulder 14:, adapted to take tenonwise into a mortise, or the equivalent of a mortise in the front end of the gun frame or receiver, which may be of any suitable construction. A wrought-metal fore-arm constructed a described has the external appearance of a wooden fore-arm and is applied and used in the same way. Over a wooden fore-arm it has the advantage of compactness, durability, lightness, elegance of appearance, and immunity from changes in the weather. At first blush it seems incredible, but it is a fact that the warping or twisting of an ordinary wooden fore-arm may exert such force on a gun-barrel as to bend the same to an extent which will measurably affect the accuracy of the arm. To provide for the swelling and distortion of a wooden fore-arm, it must be made larger than would otherwise be necessary, so as to provide for the required clearance when warped and distorted.

In the construction shown in Figs. 10 and 11 of the drawings separate tenon-pieces, such as 10 and 13, are dispensed with and replaced I by front and rear tenons 15 and 16, formed the fore-arm is bent upon itself to form a mor- Of course a great many variations as to details of construction may be resorted to, and will be resorted to as required by the special guns with which the improved fore-arm may be used. The modifications chosen for illustration will, it is thought, point out the scope of the invention. I would, therefore, have it understood that I do not limit myself to the constructions shown and described, but hold myself at liberty to make such departures therefrom as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. As a new article of manufacture, a wroughtmetal fore arm for guns, the said fore-arm having its upper longitudinal edges turned inward, and its front and rear ends adapted to be operatively connected with"9f\ parts of a gun.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a wrought-metal fore-arm for tubular maga- Zinc guns, the said fore-arm being adapted to receive a tubular magazine and having independently-formed front and rear tenon-pieces applied to its front and rear ends for operatively connecting the same with parts 'of the gun.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a wrought-metal fore-arm for guns, the said fore-arm having its front and rear ends adapted to be operatively connected with parts of a gun, whereby it is firmly supported in place, and having its side walls struck inward.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a wrought-metal fore-arm for tubular-magazine guns, the said fore arm containing a chamber extending throughout its length for the reception of a tubular magazine and having its side walls united at its forward end and having its front and rear ends provided respectively with independently-formed tenonpieces which project beyond the front and rear ends of the fore-arm for coupling the same with the gun.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a wrought-metal fore-arm for tubular-magazine guns, the said fore-arm having a cham- IO united at its forward end, and having its front and rear ends adapted to be operatively connected with parts of a gun, whereby it is firmly supported in place.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscrib- 5 ing Witnesses.

THOMAS C. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

CLARA L. WEED,

GEORGE D. SEYMOUR. 

